Scottish Executive

Charities

Mr Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Charity Law Review Commission will publish its report and recommendations.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Charity Law Review Commission is today publishing its report CharityScotland , and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Parliament’s Information Centre. I very much welcome the publication of the report and look forward to reading it in detail and considering its findings. We greatly value the hard work and dedication of Jean McFadden and the other members of the commission she chaired.

  The Executive will prepare a full response to the commission’s proposals, taking into account the wider strategic review of the social economy already indicated by the Minister for Social Justice. At the same time the Executive is inviting public comment on the 114 recommendations made in the report. We shall be glad to receive comments by 30 September 2001.

Children

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism is envisaged to monitor spending by each local authority under the Changing Children’s Services Fund.

Mr Jack McConnell: Our consultation paper Changing Children’s Services Fund consults on priority objectives for the fund and mechanisms for allocation of funding. The consultation period ends on 14 May 2001. One matter for consultation is whether the funding to be allocated to each local authority area should be directed through the local authority or whether proposals should indicate which of the project partners (who might come from the local authority, health or voluntary sectors) should receive grant. Monitoring arrangements will be considered in the light of decisions on the mechanism for allocation of funding.

Children

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it is envisaged that the Changing Children’s Services Fund will be distributed through formula-based grant allocations rather than on the basis of targets.

Mr Jack McConnell: Our consultation paper Changing Children’s Services Fund consults on priority objectives for the fund and mechanisms for allocation of funding. The consultation period ends on 14 May 2001. The consultation paper proposes that the fund should be distributed by local authority area on a formula basis. The aim would be to minimise the administrative burden and enable local accountability and flexibility, while still ensuring the fund’s objectives are met. Funds would only be released on receipt of satisfactory costed and targeted plans, if that proposal goes ahead.

Cycling

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the report by George Street Research, Development Department Research Programme Research Findings No.111: Sharing Road Space; Drivers and Cyclists as Equal Road Users , and what policy measures it plans to take in the light of the report, in particular, whether it will introduce a programme of formal cycling training, including road experience, for all primary six and seven children.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive is currently considering the recommendations of the report and what policy measures may be appropriate.

  As regards cycle training, the provision of cycle training for children is a matter for schools, police and local authority Road Safety Units. The Executive has commissioned a survey of cycle training provision in Scottish schools to provide baseline information on the numbers of children trained; that is currently being carried out. The Scottish Cycle Training Scheme, overseen by the Scottish Road Safety Campaign, itself funded by the Executive, recommends that on-road training should be provided where possible. Road Safety Units are responsible for carrying out risk assessment on any roads to be used for on-road training and for decisions on whether it is appropriate to conduct on-road training in any particular case. A new resource for Road Safety Officers to use when training volunteer trainers, developed by the campaign, was issued to Road Safety Units in March.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to hold meetings with the European Commission to synchronise the goals of Digital Scotland and other e-Government projects with those being pursued at a European level such as e-Europe.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Senior officials of the Scottish Executive met last year with European Commission officials involved in developing the e-Europe initiative. The recommendations from the Digital Scotland Taskforce took account of aspects of the targets agreed in e-Europe. Further meetings with the Commission may take place later this year.

Finance

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its accommodation costs were in 1999-2000 and 2000-01; what its projected accommodation costs are in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04, expressed in the prices used for the Scottish Budget 2001 in each case and detailing any non-recurring maintenance expenditure in each of these years, and whether it will detail any major accommodation maintenance requirements being considered for the post-2004 period.

Angus MacKay: Accommodation costs for the period requested are set out in table 1 (actual costs for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and projected costs for the subsequent years).

  Table 1: Accommodation Costs (£ million)

  

 

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  

2003-04 
  



Costs: Cash Basis 
  

34.484 
  

32.938 
  

33.939 
  

27.858 
  

27.858 
  



Costs: Real Terms 1999-2000 prices 
  

34.484 
  

32.371 
  

32.542 
  

26.060 
  

25.424 
  



  Accommodation costs include capital expenditure, rent, rates and other charges relating to property, the cost of accommodation-related staff and services such as maintenance (reactive and planned preventative), security, cleaning and fuel and utility costs.

  Non-recurring maintenance expenditure is set out in table 2. This includes planned decorative work, planned replacements and upgrading of equipment such as fire alarms and heating controls. The figures do not include reactive maintenance. The cost of non-recurring maintenance is incorporated within the figures in table 1.

  Table 2: Non Recurring Maintenance Expenditure (£ million)

  

 

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

2002-03 
  

2003-04 
  



Costs: Cash Basis 
  

0.408 
  

0.630 
  

0.888 
  

0.997 
  

0.608 
  



Costs: Real Terms 1999-2000 prices 
  

0.408 
  

0.619 
  

0.851 
  

0.933 
  

0.555 
  



  Plans for non-recurring maintenance are adjusted each year as condition surveys are received from consultants. There are no current plans for a major maintenance project post 2004.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14773 by Ross Finnie on 17 April 2001, whether it will provide on a weekly basis figures for the numbers of animals slaughtered under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme and whether it will provide the figures now for those slaughtered from 9 April 2001 to 18 April 2001.

Ross Finnie: In the period 9 to 18 April, 92 cattle, 12,120 sheep and 5,840 pigs were slaughtered in abattoirs in Scotland under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme. These figures exclude any livestock unfit to travel that would have been slaughtered on farm and do not allow for stock that may have been slaughtered south of the border. As of 24 April a total of 32,575 animals have been slaughtered in abattoirs in Scotland under the scheme.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which abattoirs which have applied for approval by the Intervention Board for slaughter purposes under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme still await a determination, giving the date when the application was lodged for each abattoir.

Ross Finnie: The Intervention Board Executive Agency advise me that the abattoir at Annan submitted a tender to operate Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme on 19 March, Kilmarnock on 4 April, Biggar on 23 March, Brechin on 21 March and Hawick on 20 March. All except Hawick, which has not been operational for some time, now have contracts to slaughter animals under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14776 by Ross Finnie on 17 April 2001, why separate figures are not available for Scotland regarding the number of slaughtered animals under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme and whether it will ensure that separate figures are made available.

Ross Finnie: The Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme is operated by the Intervention Board Executive Agency on behalf of the GB Agriculture Departments. In the initial phases of the scheme, the main priorities within the Intervention Board lay in establishing the operation of the scheme - including tasks such as creating the call centre and securing slaughtering and rendering capacity. For the most recent statistics regarding the numbers of animals disposed in Scotland I refer to the answer given to question S1W-15158.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14773 by Ross Finnie on 17 April 2001, whether the Intervention Board is meeting the target of making payments to farmers under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme within 21 days of slaughter and, if not, what timescales it is achieving.

Ross Finnie: I am advised by the Intervention Board Executive Agency that to date, 55% of payments have been made within 21 days of slaughter and the remaining 45% have been made within 30 days of slaughter. The Intervention Board assure me that all efforts are being made to meet their payment target.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14775 by Ross Finnie on 17 April 2001, of the 582 applications under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme received by 9 April 2001, (a) how many had been processed, (b) how many had been rejected and (c) how many of those passed for slaughter had been slaughtered, as at 18 April 2001.

Ross Finnie: Since 17 April, the Intervention Board Executive Agency have entered all applications to the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme on to a database which has enabled duplicate applications to be identified. Consequently, I am now advised by IBEA that there were a total of 405 applications to the scheme in Scotland as of 17 April. These applications have been processed; none have been rejected although supporting veterinary information has been requested for a number of applications to confirm the existence of a welfare problem. As of 24 April, a total of 32,575 animals had been slaughtered in abattoirs in Scotland under the scheme. Officials from my department have since been working with the Intervention Board Executive Agency in the processing of Scottish applications. This will help to speed up the processing of claims.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the abattoir at Hawick has applied for certification as a suitable slaughterhouse under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme and, if so, when the application was received by the Intervention Board, whether a determination has been made and, if it has not, when it will be made.

Ross Finnie: Abattoirs engaged in the slaughter of livestock under the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme do so under a contractual arrangement with the Intervention Board Executive Agency (IBEA) who operate the scheme, subject to certain licensing requirements as enforced by the Food Standards Agency. I am advised by IBEA that a tender was received from the owners of Hawick abattoir on 20 March but no contractual agreement has been agreed. With four abattoirs in Scotland now contracted to IBEA, significant slaughter capacity is now available to enable the progression of the scheme.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-14552 and S1W-14904 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 28 March and 19 April 2001, whether the term "consequential compensation" as used by the First Minister in response to the supplementary question to the answer to S1F-941 on 22 March 2001 ( Official Report , col. 877), has the same meaning as the term "compensation for consequential loss" as that is legally understood and whether any of the measures outlined in the answer to question S1W-14552 constitute compensation for consequential loss in that sense.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The package of assistance I described in question S1W-14552 is available now as a measure of compensation to businesses affected, directly and indirectly, by the foot and mouth outbreak. This is in addition to all measures available through the UK Government to alleviate hardship.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects any increase in cancer levels as a result of dioxins and other chemicals being released into the atmosphere from foot-and-mouth disease funeral pyres.

Susan Deacon: The potential risks to public health from carcase burning sites have been subject to comprehensive risk assessments carried out by the Environment Agency and by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health. These assessments have identified dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PCB’s) as the main agents of concern in terms of any possible risks of cancer. In both cases, however, the risk assessments conclude that exposure to these agents either in air or in food, at the levels that are predicted to occur, is unlikely to pose a risk to health.

  The risk assessments have been, and continue to be, supported by programmes of pollution monitoring which address both immediate and long-term health concern. In addition, the Food Standards Agency plans to monitor food samples from around larger or continuous pyres to ensure that there are no long-term effects on food safety.

  As intimated in the answer to question S1W-15338, the Scottish Executive Health Department has issued guidance on the siting and management of pyres to help ensure that exposures to these chemicals are kept to the lowest practicable levels.

  Copies of the guidance are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to minimise any possible unpleasant or hazardous side effects caused by the mass burial of pre-emptively culled stock at Birkshaw Farm near Lockerbie.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is working with Health and Environmental Health officials of Dumfries and Galloway Council as well as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to ensure that public and environmental health considerations are taken fully into account in the operation of the site at Birkshaw.

General Practitioners

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged between 60 and 65 retired in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged between 55 and 60 retired in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged between 55 and 60 are expected to retire in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged under 55 retired in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged under 55 are expected to retire in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

Susan Deacon: Robust information on the number of general practitioners who retire is not available. Information is collected on the number of GPs who cease to practise as principals in Scotland. However, a significant percentage do not supply a reason for leaving, and the number of those who have retired cannot be estimated with any accuracy.

General Practitioners

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time general practitioners aged between 60 and 65 are expected to retire in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

Susan Deacon: The information requested cannot be predicted with accuracy, because it is affected by individual decisions to retire. I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15147.

  The General Practitioner sub-committee of the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Medical Workforce is, however, currently working with ISD Scotland to develop a statistical model to project the overall supply and demand of the GP workforce in Scotland.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale now is for modernising Glasgow’s housing stock transfer in the event of stock transfer.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make available details of the transfer of functions, assets, contracts and staff from Glasgow City Council to the Glasgow Housing Association.

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Glasgow Housing Association regarding conveyancing plans, disclosures and warranties, environmental risks, terms of the transfer agreement, protocols and sale of assets in relation to the proposed Glasgow housing stock transfer.

Ms Margaret Curran: These are matters for discussion between the Glasgow Housing Association and Glasgow City Council in line with the Executive’s "Guidance for Local Authorities, Housing Transfer to Community Ownership".

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Glasgow Housing Stock Transfer employment working group will publish its report.

Ms Margaret Curran: No such report is expected. A national Employment and Housing Working Group is due to report at the end of June.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to the Independent Tenants’ Adviser in relation to the proposed Glasgow housing stock transfer to enable the adviser to circulate information to tenants.

Ms Margaret Curran: In 2000-01 £2.524 million was made available to Glasgow City Council for tenant consultation, including resources for the appointment of Independent Tenant Advisers.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what each local authority’s general fund balance was, in cash terms and as a percentage of total general fund net expenditure, at the close of each of the last three financial years for which figures are available.

Angus MacKay: The information for 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 is contained in the table.

  


Closing Balances 
  

1997-98
(£000) 
  

% of Total
Expenditure
1997-98 
  

1998-99
(£000) 
  

% of Total
Expenditure
1998-99 
  

1999-2000
(£000) 
  

% of Total
Expenditure
1999-2000 
  



Aberdeen, City 
  

6,892 
  

2.80 
  

3,096 
  

1.24 
  

1,363 
  

0.52 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

3,937 
  

1.54 
  

7,400 
  

2.79 
  

5,000 
  

1.79 
  



Angus 
  

600 
  

0.47 
  

3,400 
  

2.60 
  

3,600 
  

2.59 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

-871 
  

-0.65 
  

401 
  

0.29 
  

801 
  

0.56 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

-891 
  

-1.52 
  

103 
  

0.17 
  

970 
  

1.56 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

9,190 
  

4.93 
  

3,872 
  

1.98 
  

4,863 
  

2.40 
  



Dundee 
  

2,246 
  

1.05 
  

2,411 
  

1.10 
  

1,152 
  

0.51 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

1,684 
  

1.14 
  

1,984 
  

1.30 
  

600 
  

0.38 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

-2,653 
  

-2.30 
  

-1,898 
  

-1.55 
  

998 
  

0.76 
  



East Lothian 
  

1,912 
  

1.86 
  

955 
  

0.90 
  

412 
  

0.37 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

1,232 
  

1.25 
  

2,300 
  

2.18 
  



Edinburgh, City 
  

2,988 
  

0.54 
  

8,305 
  

1.49 
  

13,078 
  

2.23 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

3,608 
  

4.95 
  

292 
  

0.37 
  

1,058 
  

1.33 
  



Falkirk 
  

-905 
  

-0.56 
  

5,719 
  

3.49 
  

5,021 
  

2.93 
  



Fife 
  

11,058 
  

2.66 
  

9,546 
  

2.24 
  

4,874 
  

1.10 
  



Glasgow 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

13,999 
  

1.40 
  

33,663 
  

3.24 
  



Highland 
  

1,692 
  

0.59 
  

4,449 
  

1.51 
  

9,768 
  

3.12 
  



Inverclyde 
  

3,189 
  

2.68 
  

4,697 
  

3.88 
  

1,506 
  

1.17 
  



Midlothian 
  

1,730 
  

1.72 
  

1,037 
  

1.01 
  

1,618 
  

1.52 
  



Moray 
  

967 
  

0.93 
  

1,016 
  

0.98 
  

457 
  

0.42 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

-800 
  

-0.49 
  

-1,417 
  

-0.82 
  

-1,200 
  

-0.67 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

2,322 
  

0.59 
  

268 
  

0.07 
  

4,950 
  

1.19 
  



Orkney 
  

193 
  

0.47 
  

202 
  

0.47 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

1,770 
  

1.16 
  

4,535 
  

2.86 
  

4,507 
  

2.66 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

6,992 
  

3.25 
  

6,619 
  

3.01 
  

4,464 
  

1.92 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

9,610 
  

7.34 
  

10,578 
  

7.76 
  

7,216 
  

4.98 
  



Shetland 
  

7,237 
  

12.23 
  

9,918 
  

16.58 
  

9,918 
  

16.16 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

0 
  

0.00 
  

523 
  

0.13 
  



Stirling 
  

6,537 
  

6.21 
  

3,183 
  

2.83 
  

5,872 
  

5.10 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

2,494 
  

1.83 
  

7,195 
  

5.11 
  

5,330 
  

3.63 
  



West Lothian 
  

407 
  

0.22 
  

1,408 
  

0.75 
  

1,500 
  

0.76 
  



Scotland 
  

83,135 
  

1.27 
  

114,505 
  

1.70 
  

136,182 
  

1.93 
  



  Notes:

  1. Figures are net revenue expenditure which is total expenditure met from council tax, non-domestic rates and government grants excluding loan charges.

  2. The figures are Provisional Outturn as reported by authorities in the annual Provisional Outturn & Budget Estimate (POBE) return to the Executive.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what each local authority’s housing revenue account balance was, in cash terms and as a percentage of total housing revenue account gross expenditure, at the close of each of the last three financial years for which figures are available.

Jackie Baillie: The information requested is contained in the table:

  


Housing Revenue Account closing balances as at 31 March 
  


 

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



Local Authority 
  

Balance
(£ million) 
  

% of Gross Expend 
  

Balance
(£ million) 
  

% of Gross Expend 
  

Balance
(£ million) 
  

% of Gross Expend 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

9.4 
  

15.1 
  

5.0 
  

8.2 
  

1.6 
  

2.8 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

9.3 
  

26.4 
  

10.1 
  

25.3 
  

8.1 
  

20.8 
  



Angus 
  

1.7 
  

9.7 
  

1.3 
  

7.5 
  

0.7 
  

3.9 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

3.3 
  

18.0 
  

2.2 
  

12.9 
  

2.0 
  

12.2 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

3.3 
  

23.1 
  

2.0 
  

13.6 
  

1.3 
  

9.9 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

8.9 
  

26.6 
  

7.2 
  

21.2 
  

3.0 
  

9.5 
  



Dundee City 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0.2 
  

1.6 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2.1 
  

10.8 
  

0.4 
  

2.0 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

0.3 
  

4.1 
  

0 
  

0.1 
  

0 
  

0.3 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

0.3 
  

3.4 
  

0.4 
  

4.8 
  

0.3 
  

3.7 
  



Falkirk 
  

8.8 
  

19.2 
  

0 
  

0.0 
  

8.6 
  

17.1 
  



Fife 
  

4.7 
  

5.8 
  

3.3 
  

4.2 
  

4.7 
  

6.2 
  



Glasgow City 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Highland 
  

21.8 
  

35.0 
  

22.0 
  

34.5 
  

19.4 
  

30.3 
  



Inverclyde 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Midlothian 
  

1.5 
  

11.3 
  

1.7 
  

12.4 
  

1.1 
  

8.1 
  



Moray 
  

2.6 
  

18.4 
  

2.0 
  

13.5 
  

1.3 
  

9.3 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

2.4 
  

7.4 
  

1.7 
  

5.3 
  

0.9 
  

2.8 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

1.1 
  

1.2 
  

2.0 
  

2.1 
  

0.4 
  

0.4 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

8.2 
  

35.0 
  

8.4 
  

32.7 
  

5.0 
  

19.2 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

1.2 
  

2.9 
  

4.3 
  

8.7 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

1.3 
  

8.3 
  

0.6 
  

4.0 
  

0.5 
  

3.5 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

4.4 
  

19.8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2.2 
  

9.2 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

3.0 
  

3.8 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Stirling 
  

1.4 
  

8.1 
  

2.1 
  

11.5 
  

1.8 
  

9.6 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

1.4 
  

4.6 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



West Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1.2 
  

3.6 
  

1.5 
  

4.2 
  



Total 
  

100.3 
  

7.9 
  

79.1 
  

6.3 
  

64.8 
  

5.1 
  



  Source: 1998-99 - HSG1A, 1999-2000 - HRA extract of audited accounts, 2000-01 - HRA Form (near actual).

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, for each local authority, what the total value was of non-general fund and non-housing revenue account balances at the close of each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, expressed in cash terms and as a percentage of annual expenditure from such sources.

Jackie Baillie: Local authorities ceased to operate non-housing revenue accounts in 1996-97. There is no such account as the non-general fund. For information on housing revenue account balances, I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-15334.

Local Government Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it recommends an optimum level of local authority balance at the close of each financial year for (a) the general fund, (b) the housing revenue account and (c) any other balances and, if so, what this level is, as a percentage of total expenditure from the relevant fund or account, in each case.

Angus MacKay: The Executive does not recommend any optimum level for local authority balances.

Police

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial impact the loss of Crown Exemption for police properties in respect of payment of non-domestic rates is expected to have on Central Scotland Police in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial impact the loss of Crown Exemption for police properties in respect of payment of non-domestic rates is expected to have on Fife Constabulary in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: The total amount of police grant available in 2001-02, 2002-03 and subsequent years was increased to take full account of the abolition of Crown Exemption from non-domestic rates on operational properties. The budgets for individual forces are set by the relevant police authority or Joint Police Board.

Tourism

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedure will be used to fill the current vacancy on the board of VisitScotland and what timescale is envisaged for this process.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The vacancy will be filled in accordance with the guidance issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. An appointment will be made as quickly as possible.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of any plans or recent agreements by the water authorities to (a) dispose of or (b) enter into partnership arrangements in connection with any significant assets.

Ross Finnie: Other than in respect of Public/Private Partnerships, none of the water authorities have disposed of or entered into partnership agreements in connection with any assets in excess of £10 million, for which ministerial approval is required. Information about Public/Private Partnerships is provided on the Scottish Executive’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk/pfi .

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings are arising from the creation of the proposed Scottish water authority, how these savings have been calculated and what these savings are expressed as a percentage of operating costs for each water authority for the financial year 1999-2000.

Ross Finnie: Research conducted by the water authorities concluded that savings in excess of £100 million each year could be secured through collaboration. The Scottish Executive believes that bringing the operations of the authorities under a unified management structure in a single authority is the most appropriate way of securing those savings. The Executive expects additional savings through the rationalisation of services that unification entails, although these have not been quantified.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether each water authority maintains an asset inventory and whether these are available for public inspection.

Ross Finnie: All three water authorities maintain asset inventories or registers. Most are available for public inspection by arrangement with the authorities. There are certain assets for which some details could not be disclosed for reasons of national security.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will specify, for each water authority, the date at which the achievement of a uniform charging policy across the authority’s entire area is expected.

Ross Finnie: Each authority currently applies a uniform charging scheme for domestic customers throughout its area. Future charging schemes will be determined in the light of a number of factors, notably the Water Industry Commissioner’s Strategic Review of Charges.

Water Authorities

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total remuneration packages were including bonuses and pension provision for chief executives and chairmen of each water authority for each of the last five years giving the annual percentage increase and including the cumulative increases since vesting date in each case.

Ross Finnie: This information can be found in the water authorities’ published annual accounts. Copies of their accounts as laid before the Scottish Parliament and, pre-devolution, the Westminster Parliament, back to 1996-97 are held in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Bib. Numbers are as follows:

  


Water Authorities’ published accounts 
  

Parliament’s Reference Centre – Bib. numbers 
  



NoSWA 
  

ESWA 
  

WoSWA 
  



1996-97 
  

97515 
  

12833 
  

12836 
  



1997-98 
  

12832 
  

12834 
  

12837 
  



1998-99 
  

4005 
  

12835 
  

4004 
  



1999-2000 
  

8790 
  

7898 
  

7925 
  



  For information on Chief Executives’ salaries etc for 2000-01, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7989 on 18 July 2000.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Accommodation

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer what the accommodation costs were in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 for the accommodation currently occupied by the Parliament; what the projected accommodation costs in respect of the current accommodation are in each year from 2001-02 to 2003-04 and what the annual projected accommodation costs are thereafter for the new Parliament building at Holyrood, all expressed in the prices used for the Scottish Budget 2001.

Sir David Steel: The Parliament’s accommodation costs (i.e. rent, rates, utilities and building maintenance) for 1999-2000 and 2000-01, and the equivalent budgeted figure for 2001-02, are shown below expressed in cash terms. The projected costs for subsequent years are still under discussion. Those for 2002-03 will be included in the level 2 figures due to be submitted to the Finance Committee in September.

  


1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



£2,118,000 
  

£2,768,000 
  

£3,060,000

Parliamentary Pension Scheme

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer,  further to his answer to question S1W-9781 on 22 September 2000, what financial impact the abolition of advance corporation tax credits will have on the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Sir David Steel: The abolition of advance corporation tax credits will have no financial impact on the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme in 2001-02 and 2002-03.